Drifter’s Punk Perch

Drifter’s Punk Perch-Dark

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Tying Instructions

1. Attach the hook to the vice and attach the thread to the midpoint of the hook wrapping to above the point.

2. Select a plume marabou. You can use either the tip or the side fibers. Use about 30-40 strands of marabou from the quill, keeping the ends even. You may have to make to separate clippings to get enough strands.

3. Measure the tips so that they are about the same as the shank length.

4. Secure the marabou just above the point with thread wraps and wrap to the bend of the hook.

5. Twist the tag end of the marabou and wrap the marabou forward up the shank to the 3/4 position.

6. Secure with thread wraps at the 3/4 position and trim off the excess.

7. Attach a length of fine copper wire for a ribbing to the underside of the shank. Secure the wire with thread wraps to the tail tie-down position.

8. Blend some UV Black with the UV Lt Olive Ice Dubbing. The Lt Olive makes up about 95% of the mix. Apply the dubbing blend to the thread and secure the dubbing to the hook shank with one wrap. Once the dubbing is locked to the hook shank, you can twist the dubbing around the thread to create a noodle.

9. Wrap the noodle from the tail tie-in position to the midpoint of the hook shank creating a tapered body. Remove the excess dubbing from the thread as we are going to create a dubbing loop starting at the midpoint of the shank.

10. Create a dubbing loop of about 2-3 inches in length. You secure the loop by wrapping the thread around the loop at the shank and then wrap the thread to just behind the eye of the hook. The loop is held open by a dubbing tool such as Cal Bird’s dubbing tool or a Griffin Spinning Loop tool.

11. Apply the dubbing blend to the loop and twist the loop, the material closest to the shank will tighten first.

12. Tighten the loop but do not overtighten. It should be somewhat bulky.

13. Wrap the loop forward to just behind the eye, leaving adequate room for a head. Trim any remaining dubbing and secure with thread wraps.

14. Bring the copper wire forward with evenly spaced wraps in a reverse method to counter the dubbing wraps. The ribbing will greatly help to secure the dubbing fibers.

15. Secure a piece of red thread and wrap to create a small band at the rear of the head. This will represent the gills of the Punk Perch and is an attraction part of the pattern.

16. Secure the red thread with thread wraps from your bobbin and create a small band of black in front of the red band. Whip Finish.

17. Then pick out the dubbing with a bodkin. You should get much longer fibers from the front half of the shank. Take a piece of velcro and work the material to blend the material and get it to flow in a backwards sweep. Trim any wayward fibers. Try to get a tapered silouette. The front fibers should be able to extend to the base of the tail.

18. Apply a drop of head cement to the head.

19. The finished Drifter’s Punk Perch.

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	Daiichi 1710 #6-16
Thread	Danville Black 6/0
Head	Danville Black 6/0
Body	U.V. Light Olive Ice Dubbing and some U.V. Black Ice Dubbing mixed in
Tail	Brown Olive Marabou
Collar (Gills)	Uni-Thread Red 8/0
Ribbing	Copper Wire

Tom Loe

Punk Perch

Local Guide, Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters, uses a variation of the Mohair Leech pattern with his “Punk Perch”. Rather than using Angora Goat or Seal Dubbing, Tom uses Ice Dubbing which is a finely cut mylar.

Ice Dubbing

The Punk Perch is tied somewhat differently with a thin rear portion to the body and a much longer dubbed upper body in which the Ice Dubbing fibers reach the base of the tail. Use a dubbing loop and adjust the amount of material so that the bulk will be wound nearest the forward portion of the shank. As you twist the loop, the material will also be somewhat tighter around the rear portion of the shank and this will assist in the profile.

Sacramento Perch fry

In the water, this profile is really good for mimicking a Sacramento perch fry which is a prevalent food source for large trout within Lake Crowley. Keep the pattern less than 2 inches since the trout will not feed on larger patterns due to the sharp fin spines that develop on the fry. The translucent effect of the material gives real life to the fly.

2X Long Wet Hook

The hook is a 2x long wet fly. He also incorporates a thin red thread collar behind the head for gills which can be a strong triggering mechanism to the fly as an alarmed baitfish with it’s gills flashing. Use a Brassie diameter wire for size 6-12 and a Small diameter wire for the smaller hook sizes in 12-16. This pattern was developed in late 1990’s. It replaced many of the matuka type streamers that were being used at the time and was presented with a slow pulsating retrieval. The Punk Perch has since been adapted to jig style hooks with a small bead on a wire extension such as a pin and is known as a Balanced Punk Perch.

Presentation

The presentation is with an indicator allowing the pattern to sit within the water column as a stunned baitfish. See: Balanced Leech. Both patterns, the Punk Perch and the Balanced Punk Perch are equally effective.

Another Variation for Daphnia

“Agent Orange” is another variation that Tom Loe prefers to use when Daphnia are the main food source at times during the summer at Crowley Lake. The body material is the SLF dubbing that Davy Wotton and Poul Jorgensen made famous. Dave Whitlock submitted his blends to SLF to match his patterns. It is an excellent synthetic blend with many highlight colors of Reds, Orange, Blues, and Yellows. Tom ties this material the same as his Punk Perch with the longer fibers closest to the eye. The hook used is a dry fly hook with a wide gap and downturned eye. Daphnia are microscopic sand fleas and this fly represents a cloud of them. The fly is fished motionless under an indicator. This pattern is also improved by using a “balanced” approach.

Drifter’s Punk Perch-Light

Hook	Daiichi 1710 #6-16
Thread	Danville Black 6/0
Head	Danville Black 6/0
Body	Pearl Ice Dubbing
Tail	Gray Marabou with Silver Krystal flash strands
Collar (Gills)	Uni-Thread Red 8/0
Ribbing	Gold Wire

Drifter’s Agent Orange

Hook	TMC 100 #10-16
Thread	Uni-thread Black 8/0
Head	Uni-thread Black 8/0
Body	UV Scud/Shrimp Dubbing, Shrimp Pink and UV Scud/Shrimp Dubbing, Fl. Orange 50:50 mix
Tail	Burnt Orange Marabou
Collar (Gills)	Uni-Thread Red 8/0
Ribbing	Small Gold Wire

Drifter’s Punk Perch Variation

Hook	Daiichi 1710 #6-16
Thread	Veevus 10/0 White
Head	Veevus 10/0 White
Body	Arizona Simi Seal, Light Crowley Perch
Tail	Olive Marabou
Collar (Gills)	Arizona Simi Seal, Burgundy
Ribbing	X-Small Silver Wire

Drifter’s Balanced Punk Perch

Hook	Daiichi 4640 #10-16
Thread	Veevus 10/0 White
Extension	Balance Fly Pin
Head	Xtra Small Nickel Conehead with 5/32
Body	Arizona Simi Seal, Light Crowley Perch
Tail	Gray Marabou with Silver Krystal flash strands
Ribbing	X-Small Silver Wire